


Everyday Sun

by zebrock



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blood, Domestic Violence, Explicit Language, Fluff and Angst, Growing love, M/M, Slightly Out Of Character, Yaoi, hints of drug and alcohol abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-24
Updated: 2014-08-29
Packaged: 2018-02-06 00:00:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1836958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zebrock/pseuds/zebrock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'Everyday was the same. Back and forth, back and forth, day in day out. The same old routine that ran my life. I could literally feel my life passing me by with nothing but 'getting by' as the bare minimum standardization. Basically, my life was hella boring. That was until I saw the most beautiful guy I've ever seen on my way home from work...'</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Everyday was the same. Back and forth, back and forth, day in day out. I would get on the 524 and head south to a town called Harlow for my work, then return on the 524 heading north to go back home in a small town named Hertford. The same old routine that ran my life. I could literally feel my life passing me by with nothing but 'getting by' as the bare minimum standardization. Basically, my life was hella boring. That was until I saw the most beautiful guy I've ever seen on my way home from work...

"Fucking dick" I whispered to myself as I passed the bus driver who had not accepted my (completely valid) return ticket. I don't normally get this mad, but with the day I'd been having, you couldn't blame a guy for letting some rage escape his system, what with my boss nit picking my work and then my over attentive assistant practically kissing the ground I walk on and not leaving me alone for the entire day.

Before any more of my stress could build up, I sat in my usual place on the bus, left side, first row. I fell to the seat with an louder than needed groan, dumping my bag next to me on the distasteful decorated seat. This seat had become mine since before I can remember, and if someone was in it, they made a mental note to themselves not to sit there again. I liked things put into their place, whether it be the arrangement of my desk or the people who surrounded me. My dark circled eyes slowly shut as the early evening sun hit my skin, warming me to just the right temperature to make me drowsy. I could hear the clattering of many feet and the wheels of shopping baskets pulled by old ladies who frequented the bus, the shut of the electronic doors and then the start of a worn out engine. The same noises I hear everyday. Except for some incessant beeping noise that just wouldn't shut up. Sensing my rising anger, I snapped my heavy eyes open in search of the cause.

"The fuck is making that noise?" I said, louder than necessary, quickly turning my head behind me.

The various people on the bus all stopped whatever they were doing, being talking to their friends or rattling their recently received change in their hands. All of their scared eyes met mine, the look of fright apparent on their faces as they looked at my serious, angry one. Since no one knew exactly which noise I was talking about, they all stayed silent, in fear of making the noise again.

Not two seconds later, the noise made another appearance, only it was coming from the front of the bus. Once again, I whipped my head around to face the culprit.

I stared straight at this tall guy, probably around 6"2, standing up and holding onto one of the supporting handles. I could see he had headphones in, so paid no attention to either his phone chimes or the statement I had screamed earlier.

Probably sensing my stare, the guy turned his head gently in my direction, where we locked eyes for a split second. I could feel my own face loosen up at the sight of his, my mouth slowly starting to gape open.

The first thing I noticed about this guy was has eyes. Fuck me were they the most amazing colour ever; almost looking like two pools of pure liquid gold. Even though they were slightly hidden by his (completely huge and unnecessary) hipster glasses, they were pretty fucking beautiful. He sported a blue and multi-coloured polka dot shirt with an unzipped red hoodie covering it, some jet black, (extremely) skinny jeans with an ancient looking satchel laying on one of the thighs and some black Doc Martins. His clothes looked like the kind you would see on a catwalk in France or some shit, not what you would generally see in a rundown town like Harlow. The frame of his face was defined nicely, curving in just the right way to make the glasses seem actually not ridiculous, like how most people looked when trying to pull the style off. His hair shone just as much as his eyes, and was light blond in colour, tinted slightly from the Orange rays of sun streaming in from outside. Fuck me did I like blondes. Yeah, this guy is DEFINITELY my type. But seriously, what we're the chances of this guy being gay also? I mean, I know I don't exactly scream out homosexuality either, but he looks like the type of guy who is never left alone by girls. Damn, this guy was extremely hard not to stare at. Those tight jeans were not helping either.

Just as I was taking in his dazzling appearance, he returned back to the position his head was in, continuing to listen to his music.

Just as I thought about stopping my creepy as fuck staring, I abruptly shut my gaping hole of a mouth.

Before I had the chance to take in anymore of him, the blond pressed the red 'stop' button on one of the poles, making the bus come slowly to a halt.

'Wow, good looking AND only lives a town over, this guy is just teasing me now'.

The stranger left the bus, thanking the driver and tugging out his phone, that had not stopped beeping the whole journey, and began to tap on the screen diligently. With the bus slowly returning to motion, I looked back out the window to see the guy looking straight back at me. Of course, me being the idiot that I am, did the most abrupt turn ever, dodging the blonde's gaze. I could feel my face turn a dark shade of red through my tanned skin, ducking my head in between my knees in an attempt to salvage what dignity I had left by hiding my embarrassment.

As the bus came up to my stop not 5 minutes after the previous stop, I exited the bus after giving a passed off glare to the driver, whilst still pondering over the pretty faced that had graced my usually boring as fuck ride home from the office. In my silent thought, a memory popped back into my head. The sight of the blonde on the other side of the dirty window kept playing over and over, becoming clearer as the more time passed.

Then out of nowhere, I stopped, suddenly finding another blush filling my cheeks.

'... was it just me... or did that guy actually... smile at me...'.

\-----------------------------

As I looked out the window of my office, I could see dark clouds fill the sky, signalling me to either get out of the office right now or wait until the clouds disperse.

Quickly, I began to round up my belongings that I had carelessly piled onto the desk, hurrying up so that my boss wouldn't notice.

"Uhmm, Aomine-san..." a weak, frightened voice sounded behind me and I instantly knew who it was.

"What is it Sakurai?" I said with a slow and irritated tone.

"I'm sorry! W-wakamatsu was looking for you to look over his paperwork, sorry!" This guy always meant well, but it is the hardest thing ever to stay patient with him, especially when he is talking about something I really don't want to do at a time when I really want to get out of this place.

"Sakurai, I really want to leave right now, so can't you just tell everyone here who wants me that I had to go cos my cat run over or some shit like that?" If it wasn't apparent by my annoyed tone that I was done with today as a whole, the way I threw stray pieces of paper in my bag was a clear sign.

As I turned around to exit, I was met with the big brown eyes of Sakurai, who now looked to be on the verge of crying.

"I'm sorry, b-but Imayoshi senpai won't be happy a-and I don't want him to shoot the messenger." His small figure started to shake from worry, probably from the image he had rolling around inside of his head. I can't say I blame him since Imayoshi was one scary fucker when you piss him off.

Sighing, I tried to calm him down before repeating what I said earlier. "You don't have to worry, just say that I had to go home urgently because my cat was run over and needed to be taken to the vet asap, got it?" With that, I abruptly left my office, leaving a confused Samurai standing there contemplating whether or not he should ask to be someone else's assistant.

Before long I had reached the elevator at the end of the hallway, grabbing in between the doors just as they were about to shut.

"Sorry" I said before pressing the 'close door' button.

"That's alright, where are you heading off to Aomine?"

I froze at the sound of the voice. It was all too familiar. With no one else in the small elevator and no where to run, all I could do was reply and hope that he doesn't get off on the same floor.

"Uh, I was just going home cos my cat was ru-"

"Run over and has to be taken to the vet urgently? Nice try Aomine, but you used that one on me a month ago."

Damn that shitty four eyes and his insane memory! It was easy to understand how Imayoshi became the CEO of the company, from his crazy memory to his even crazier foresight. Hurry up you fucking slow arse elevator!

"It's okay Aomine, I understand, you wanna rush home so that you can sleep well for tomorrow. It's almost as if you knew you would be stuck with double the amount of work, my how productive you are." The creepy grin spread across his face made me break out into a cold sweat and made my throat clench. Is he covering for me or being a sadistic little prick? Maybe both.

I silently searched through my brain in an attempt to make a smart reply, just as the elevator sound for the 1st floor.

"Oh, and one more thing Aomine." He began to exit the lift, turning round to face me once again before the doors shut. His eyes were glistening with rage at this point, but with that sly grin still plastered on his pale skin. "Don't do this again, or you'll regret it. Good work today." With that finalizing statement, he pivoted around, back facing me and walked away, in perfect synchronization with the shutting doors.

\------------------------------

I had literally never felt this happy to be at the bus stop. Getting out of that office was top priority. I could never say the real reason why I was in such a hurry. Sure, I wanted to get home before the rain struck, but I just wanted that blonde dude to arrive for the bus around about now. I mean, this is the time he got on last time. No, I am not a creep who checks each and every detail of the person they like, I just remembered the time is all.

The clouds in the sky were even darker and small drops of rain began to fall.

"Shit" I whispered to myself as I began to move under the cramped bus shelter. No one else was at the stop, which was pretty unusual considering how many were piled on yesterday. I looked down the road for any sign of life. Nothing. Where the fuck did everyone go?

I looked at my watch to check the time, making sure that I wasn't going crazy. The clock arms pointed out the time 4.30pm. Which meant I had just missed the 4.25 bus. Great, waiting for 25 minutes with nothing to do sounds amazing right now in the pouring rain.

The slight drizzle had now turned into a heavy downpour, starting to create a mini stream down the side of the street, sweeping away dead leaves and dirt. The cold had now gotten to me, even though I was completely dry. Shivers crept up and down my skin, forcing me to fold my body into a compacted source of heat, the only noises to be heard being the pitter patter of rain drops falling to the hard floor. That was until the noise of fast steps could be heard not too far away. I looked over, hoping that I could cure my boredom, but what I saw made me quickly bow my head down. The person running towards me was none other than the blonde guy, soaking wet and panting. Christ what was he doing to me!?

He had soon reached the shelter, crouching over to recover the breath he had just lost. The sight of his rising and lowering back made my heart race, his wet clothes sticking to the skin.

After about half a minute of shaky breaths, the guy stood up straight once again, moving over to sit at the end of the bench a few inches away from me. He was completely drenched, his golden hair slicked down and no longer having volume like it did before. I could see him shaking from the cold, the few layers of clothing that he was wearing being thin and soaked through. I can't blame him for not wearing thick clothes, it said in the weather report this morning to expect heat waves. Now was my chance to speak to him, but with my thoughts a mess, I had no idea what to say.

"Lovely weather we're having isn't it?" I said sarcastically, in an attempt to lighten the mood. I really should of said something a bit better then that.

The shivering man looked over at me and smiled lightly. I guess that line wasn't much of a conversation starter. Mentally kicking myself for making that the first sentence spoken to him, I sat in silence trying to think of what to say.

"I'm Aomine Daiki by the way." The blonde's smile grew wider, revealing a perfect set of white teeth. Seriously, did this guy even have a flaw?

"Nice to meet you Aomine, I'm Kise Ryouta." Wow his voice was cute. How can a fucking voice be cute!?

After a moment of blank staring, I brought myself back to reality and gave a small smile in return to his gleaming one.

As I was about to start the conversation back up again, a loud clap of thunder roared in the sky. It gave me a jump to say the least, but Kise literally screamed, making my jump all the worse. I looked back over to Kise to see him cross armed and curled into a tight ball of limbs, shaking from head to toe. Whether it was because of the cold or the thunder I still didn't know. Once the noise had died down a tiny bit, I started to hear the fast breaths coming from the blonde. At that point I knew it was him being scared of the thunder.

"Hey, are you alright"? I said, trying to calm him down (and failing).

He looked up at me with glistening eyes, the shock being clear as day. "Oh.. y-yeah, I'm fine, just took me by surprise is all".

By now I was just an arm's width away, trying to comfort him without making him feel paranoid about a stranger touching him. His skin had turned even paler now, the colour leaving his cheeks.

Another thunder bolt sounded in the sky, this one even louder and longer than the first. It made my shoulders spasm upwards, sending a shiver down my spine, whilst Kise screamed, cowering further into his ball, shaking even harder now. I was starting to get concerned about this guy, when finally he muttered something.

"I-I'm sorry... it's just that I kind of have a fear of thunder, if you hadn't already guessed that already". He sounded nervous telling me this, showing just how much he hated this kind of weather. Well I guess anyone as radiant as he is would come to hate such horrible weather. I sat down next to him, looking at him as I did so. Even as a curled up mess he looks beautiful.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you become so scared of thunder?". I tried to be a gentle as possible to not upset him, although that is a hard thing for me to do.

Kise looked at me with his big golden eyes and gave me a small but sad smile. "When I was a kid, I was usually on my own, because my parents would work from early in the morning til late at night, sometimes even on night shifts. Those were the worst days. One night, there was a thunder storm outside and I was alone. I didn't know what to do because I didn't know what it was at the time. I thought there was a world war three happening to be honest". He chuckled gently at the memory, looking at the rain swept floor whilst doing so. "I was so scared, I hid in my closet for hours, refusing to leave. My mum arrived home at about five in the morning, looking for me all over the house until she found me shivering in the closet, curled up in a ball. Needless to say I was reluctant to come out of the safe place in my closet, but she got me out eventually. Whenever there was a storm, I would always go to a dark place, crawl into a ball and not open up for hours. I still do it to this day cos it feels like the only place that is safe".

I looked over to the blonde, who had now lost his smile completely from reminiscing about his childhood fear. Sounded tough. "You know, your fear isn't even that bad". Kise began looking at me with confusion. "I mean, my fear is stupid. I'm afraid of fucking bees. BEES!". I repeated the word to emphasize on how stupid it really was.

After a moment of silence from both of us, Kise's smile broadened instantly, collapsing into laughter soon after.

"Bwahhaaahaaa!". Kise's laugh was loud and uncontrollable. He was laughing as though it was the first joke he had heard in years.

After a few seconds of him not stopping, my face fell into a pout.

"I'm sorry, sorry! It's just that I really didn't expect you to be afraid of... bees". I could see from his quivering lips that he was struggling to hold back his laughter.

"Its not like I chose to! I was stung by one when I was little and it has scarred me ever since".

"Sorry, I didn't me to laugh... OMG AOMINE THERE IS A BEE RIGHT BEHIND YOU!".

Like an idiot, I stood up and flung my arms about in an attempt to chase the imaginary bee away. "Fuck!!! Get it away from me!". I stopped still at the sound of Kise's laugh. He was literally clutching his stomach as if to show that he was in pain. My face grew red as I realised what a fool I had just made myself look, the blush burning my face.

After another minute of laughter, he composed himself enough to talk, his face becoming pink from the lack of air getting into his lungs. "I'll seriously stop now". He unbundled his right knit body into a relaxed position, his smile still present. I sat back down beside him, my blush beginning to fade.

"You know, it's weird how open we are with each other, considering how we only just met". I looked over to Kise who had just started speaking, curious as to where this conversation would end up. "I've never told anyone apart from family about my fear, and yet, here I am, telling a complete stranger, talking with him, laughing with him. It's a weird feeling, but it's as if I've know you for a long time. It feels... warm...". Kise's face grew a darker shade of pink, his golden eyes focused on the rain falling outside of the stop. The little speech he had just given was... exactly how I felt.

"... I feel the same way...". I was looking at the ground, but I could sense Kise's eyes focusing on me now.

With perfect timing for stopping an awkward situation, the 524 bus rolled up to the stop, opening its doors and letting us feel the hot air of the bus warm our bodies. It was the most amazing feeling, like eating fresh baked cookies on a cold night. Both Kise and I entered the bus, showing our tickets and then making our way to my usual spot at the front left of the bus. It felt different with someone there next to me, but it felt better knowing it was Kise.

\---------------------

"Wait, you like basketball?" Kise asked, the surprise evident in his voice.

The rain was continuing to pour outside, creating a low, rumbling noise against the windows as the drops hit the glass. It annoyed me at first, but after a minute or two of conversing, the noise had died down. Only a few other people occupied the bus, the usually pact vehicle now seemed eerily empty for a change.

"Yeah, I love it, my life revolved around" I said, eager to talk about the new found subject.

"Really!? I love basketball! I still play now and again if I have the time. Do you still play?".

"My job is quite demanding, but if I get all my work done, then I sometimes play once I have some free time". I lied. I didn't want him to know that the real reason I didn't play was because of a long term injury I received to my elbow back in high school.

"We should totally play some one on one sometime! That would be amazing!" Kise's face lit up, his excitement all to obvious.

"... I would like that".

We were only a few minutes into our conversation, but Kise and I had already started talking about random things, like our favourite foods and interests. Somehow, the conversation turned, the subject now being about hand size for some reason. It just turned out that way and I don't even know how. Before I knew it I had my hand placed gently against Kise's, his soft skin and warm palms made my cold ones burn.

"Wow Aominecchi, your hands are huge! I don't think I've even met a guy who has bigger hands than me."

"...Aominecchi?" I replied, confused about the sudden name change. By now our hands were back down by our sides.

"Oh, sorry, it's just that I add 'cchi' to the names of people who I respect."

I swear, could this guy be any cuter? "I guess that's alright, I don't mind what you call me". I honestly didn't mind, he could call me anything and I wouldn't care so long as he keeps calling for me in that sweet voice.

A massive smile appeared on Kise's face, his red cheeks glowing under the light of the bus and making his face even more radiant. I felt my own cheeks burn, his face was seriously too perfect.

Sitting next to the warm vent on the bus made the ride home extremely cosy, as well as talking to Kise of course. His sweet voice soothed me completely and with the heat running through me I could of just melted right there. I could feel myself nodding off, my eyes drooping and my head struggling to keep upright. I could hear Kise giggle slightly whilst my eyes were closed. He could obviously see how hard it was for me to keep awake.

"You look tired Aominecchi, you can rest on my shoulder until my stop if you want." I stared at him, trying to take in what I had just heard. Of course I wanted to do that. I wanted to do so much more than just lay my head on your shoulder, but I can't and it's killing me. With a small nod, I leaned over so that my head fitted nicely into the crook of his neck. It was so warm. His smooth skin felt amazing against my own rough one. I could feel Kise shake slightly and realised that it was because of my hair tickling him.

"Sorry, but you don't know how much I need this right now." I was hoping that Kise wouldn't realise that I meant his touch as well as the sleep, but before I knew it, I felt a head rest on top of my own. I wasn't as surprised as I should have been since I was too exhausted, excepting the touch without question.

As my eyes began to drift shut, I heard a faint whisper, so quiet that I couldn't tell if I was imagining it or not.

"Yeah. Me too."

\-----------------------------

I awoke from what felt like an eternity of sleep, deep and dreamless, but also warm and reviving. The only reason I opened my eyes was because of a non stop nudging on my arm. I perked up quicker at the realisation of where I was and what was happening. I was still on the bus... with Kise... KISE! Fuck, I even fell asleep on him! Before I could even think, I arose from his warm shoulder and faced him.

"I'm sorry Aominecchi, but my stop is coming up. You looked so peaceful as well". I could feel my face pool with heat from his embarrassing words.

"Oh be quiet" I said in defence, since I couldn't deny that it was the most peaceful I had felt in a long time. A smile rose on Kise's face, making my heart flutter for a second.

"Before I leave, I was wondering if you would like to exchange numbers? It would be nice to see you when I am not completely drenched in water".

"YES" I blurted out far too loudly. Nice one Aomine. Good job, you look really cool now. "I mean sure, why not". Nice recovery jackass, that should fool him.

The blonde just smiled wider. "Alright, here's my business card". He handed over a smart but simple design of card, reading the word 'model'.

"Wait! You're a fucking model!?" I accidentally said out loud.

"Yeah, but it's just part time stuff to pay the bills you know."

"Then get a job as a cashier not a bloody model!" I don't know why I was so shocked to be honest. I already knew that he had the looks and potential, but to find out that he does it semi professionally is still kind of an eye opener. "I bet all the girls come screaming after you" I said in a low, monotone voice, sounding like some kind of jealous bitch.

"I guess I get a lot of looks from people, but I don't really care to do anything about it".

"What, even with the endless supply of hook ups, you're telling me that you don't go ahead with any of them?!" My voice raised slightly and my speech quickened from the anger and jealousy I had built up, however Kise seemed completely unfazed.

"That's because I don't like any of them in that way, since they only like me for my photos. Sure, I went on a date with one or two, but it just wasn't right. I want to be with someone who likes me for me".

I didn't reply. All I did was look blankly at him, my thoughts screaming at me. I kept replaying what he just said in my head over and over, thinking 'why can't that someone be me?' and 'how can I become that person?'.

Kise's gaze moved from my eyes to outside of the bus, where his stop was. He quickly pressed the stop button and rose up from his seat. "I hope we can meet up properly next time, I promise to look better". His smile sparkled and his cheeks flushed a light pink. As if he could look any better. He looked perfect.

The bus slowed to a stop and the doors opened into the rain, letting most of the warm air out. Some how, it felt as though Kise was taking the heat away with him.

"See you soon, Aominecchi". He gave a small wave in my direction and started to walk towards the doors. But before I let him walk any further, I gripped his wrist gently to stop his movements. Kise's head quickly flicked towards me, with a confused look on his face. "What is it Aominecchi?".

Why had I just done that? What am I thinking? In an attempt to recover the embarrassing action, I let go of his hand and quickly reached into my bag, grabbing a business card rather roughly, bending it into a creased shape. "I-I forgot to give you this" I said, a pink blush appearing on my cheeks. Since I had legitimately forgotten to give him my business card, it was actually a pretty smart cover up for grabbing him so suddenly.

Kise's confused expression left him, replaced by one of joy. It looked as if he had forgotten about recieving my business card as well. "Thank you! I almost forgot. I've really got to go now". I could see the bus driver rolling his eyes, showing his impatience with us. With this, Kise made his way to the doors, thanking him for his time. As if to make a finality, Kise waved back to me and walked out, the doors shutting behind him rather abruptly.

My eyes automatically followed Kise out of the bus and into the rain. My vision was somewhat blurred by the rain falling down the window, by I could still see Kise running through the storm, down an almost completely dark road.

The bus slowly started moving once more, making its way to the next destination.

Worries began to flood my mind. What if he tripped and fell on the wet ground, cold, in the dark and with no one around to help him? That's absurd Aomine. He has his fucking phone. But what if his phone was smashed when he fell? I need to stop imagining the worst possible thing right now. I'm sure that he is already home and taking a nice warm shower.

Before I knew it, the bus had already come up to my stop. I quickly pressed the stop button and hurried to the front. The bus halted at the stop, with the doors opening soon after. At once, I could feel the warmth sucked out of me, as the wind and rain blew straight into my face. Needless to say, I was dreading the 10 minute walk to my apartment. Thanking the bus driver, I stepped outside. I began to run home, thinking about Kise and how he was doing the exact same thing not even 15 minutes ago. I became distracted in my thoughts and found myself running a lot faster than my body was used to. I wouldn't count myself as an unfit person, just an average office worker who doesn't get to move around a lot and, without a doubt, just plain lazy. Maybe starting up basketball again isn't such a bad idea. The only bad point I can think of is my elbow, which was injured due to overuse. If it started playing up again, it could get in the way of my day to day life and make everything 10 times harder than it needed to be, especially if Sakurai found out about it at work. I would never hear the end of that.

A few minutes later I found myself at the front of my apartment complex, a fairly average place to live with a nice neighbourhood and convenient shops placed here and there. My breathing was fast and ragged and the rain that had soaked my suit was no longer cold, but sticky and uncomfortable against my skin. I quickly typed in the code to unlock the lobby door and made my way towards the elevator. The lobby wasn't warm and inviting like the bus was, but since no one was presently there, I understood why the atmosphere seemed dark and cold. Maybe it was just like this because Kise wasn't standing there next to me.

I entered the elevator, pressed the button listed as number 5 and waited whilst the doors closed and the elevator started to move. I was alone in the elevator, stuck listening to the crappy jingle that repeated itself over and over again. To be honest, I was just thankful that no one else was in the elevator, since the elevator music did not mix well with awkward silence. The doors eventually opened up to the 5th floor, showing its simple yet warm decor that seemed pointless for such an unused part of the complex.

Rummaging through my bag, I located my keys and unlocked my front door.

As soon as I entered my tiny apartment, I could feel my fatigue settle in, even though I left early from work. Here, is where my laziness usually kicks in. I did actually plan to do some work at home since I went so early from the office, but as soon as I enter this place, it completely disappears from my to do list. After a big yawn escaped me, I slowly shuffled over to the bathroom, hoping that the spray of warm water from the shower would wake me.

\-----------------------------

The shower didn't wake me. If anything, it made me all the more tired. After drying off, I walked into my bedroom to find a simple black t-shirt and joggers for bed. I clumped my wet clothes into a bundle and carried them over and into the washing basket, where they would probably stay until the weekend. The thought of eating ran through my mind, with even my stomach growling to confirm my hunger, even though I ate lunch only a few hours ago. Dinner was usually scheduled for 8 o'clock, meaning a four hour nap could be added to this schedule. As I laid down onto the soft mattress, I felt my muscles loosen up. They had been tense all day, from working at the office to the nerves of trying to act cool around Kise.

Kise. Kise. Kise.

With the thought of the blonde occupying my head, I slowly closed my eyes and buried myself into one of my plump pillows.

There was one thing that I knew for certain. Whatever flooded my mind, wether it be good or bad, the worst case or the best, Kise was the only thing I could think about. I had only met the guy twice, but never before had I met someone who was so easy to get along with. However much I want to think about something else, i simply can't. My mind was filled with that blonde hair, that big smile and that amazing voice. Kise was there to stay, and I don't think he will be leaving any time soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot twist at the end ｡◕‿◕｡

I could feel my palms becoming sweaty and my throat dry. Why am I so nervous? It wasn't anything to be nervous about in the slightest. 

A few days after getting Kise's phone number and talking to him nonstop, I somehow managed to pluck up the courage to ask him out for dinner. Sure, he thinks it's as friends and even I know that, but still, here I am getting sweaty and nervous like I'm going to prom or something.

Things were going smoothly, with our conversations never getting boring or dragging. It all felt so natural, talking to Kise, like I had known him my whole life. 

We had organised to meet at Harlow bus station for 7.30, so that we would both meet somewhere familiar to us, and then head over to a quiet little Italian place that I often stop at after work. That was the plan, until I felt a buzz in one of my trouser pockets, instantly knowing that it was Kise. I was already at the station, arriving early and feeling like an idiot. At least I wasn't all dressed up in a suit, instead sporting black jeans, a simple white t-shirt and a pair of white converse.

I opened up the text and saw that the message was rather long. 

From: Kise  
Friday 7.20  
Msg: I'm so sorry Aominecchi, I was ready I swear! I got on the bus and was making good time when we suddenly stopped. (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ Apparently the engine overheated and now we're stranded on the road, waiting to be rescued. /(;-_-) I really am sorry, but I'm gonna be late for our dinner. 

Once I had finished reading the message, I locked my phone and slid it back into my pocket. It honestly didn't matter since the restaurant didn't even need reservations. I just hoped that Kise would arrive as soon as possible, since the sun was setting, bringing cold air to my skin, making it form thousands of tiny goosebumps. 

Since I had some time to kill, I decided to head to a small cafe just opposite the station. The coffee there is like drinking drops of heaven. 

I walked over slowly towards the cafe, trying to waste time in any way possible. As I opened the door and the bell chimed, I was instantly hit by the smell of coffee beans. I took a long sniff, making me relive memories of my first time entering this shop 5 years ago, back when I was only working part time at Too Industries. It's weird how people can feel nostalgic over a smell, but maybe that's the reason I keep on coming to this place, in order to relive the days when I wasn't so tired and grumpy.

Looking around me, I could see that the cafe was quite busy considering it was coming round to half seven and everyone working should be home by now. The only reason I wasn't hear earlier in my suit, dead from work, was because I took a day off. I just needed some rest from the bustling office and my annoying co-workers. I could see that the people occupying the small shop were in fact people I recognise, most of them just random faces I remember seeing around the company, but a few of them I recognised as people I converse with on a day to day basis. Knowing this, the warm feeling of nostalgia left my system, being replaced my fear of being spotted looking perfectly healthy and ready for a leisurely night out when I was meant to be curled up in bed sick. Yeah, I lied and said I was ill, sue me! 

In an attempt for escape, I slowly pivoted my body around to face the door I just entered through. I was almost at the door, just a few inches away from grasping the handle, when I heard my name being called out. 

"Aomine-san, is... is that you?" 

I could tell from the voice alone exactly who it was. Sakurai. Knowing that it was someone who wouldn't rat me out to one of the higher ups, I turned back around to face him.

"Ah, it is you, I almost didn't recognise you since you aren't wearing a suit." Sakurai seemed different, as though he was more confident and less frightened to interact with people. I took note of the coffee placed in his hands and assumed that his change of character was from the caffeine. "Why are you here Aomine-san, I thought you were ill and bedridden". Damn this guy was observant. 

Not wanting to answer his question, I decided to flip the conversation in my favour. "I could ask you the same thing. Isn't it a bit late for you to still be here?". 

"How about we sit down over here and talk?" He pointed towards a small table near the window that was away from the bustling crowd of impatient workers. Once we sat down, Sakurai began to answer my question. "The office was in chaos today, since our dealership with Seirin Incorporated went bust. We tried all day to make them see reason, attempting to make them stay partnered with us. It was only an hour ago that they finally accept our deal, which is why most of the office is here restocking on energy." After hearing that, I felt a glimmer of guilt in me, for all I had done all day was sleep, eat and laze about at home whilst everyone at the office was working non stop until 6.30.

" Why didn't you say something? I would of gone in and helped out!" The guilt got to me and I desperately hoped that I would hear a reassuring answer from the hard working employee.

"B-because you called in and said you were bedridden. I-I've never heard of you being that ill before so I thought it was something terrible." I could hear his voice go back to its usual stuttering mess, his posture no longer strong and calm, but weak and nervous. Knowing that I had been making him feel responsible for everything, I calmed down, not wanting to make anything worse. It was my fault for lying and being selfish after all.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to feel responsible for everything. It was my fault. You can probably tell from just looking at me that I lied about being ill." 

His face became looser and you could see his body relax more. "That's alright, don't worry about it, it's done now anyway. So, why did you lie? And why are you hear right now?" I still felt as though I let down a lot of people, but Sakurai is right. There's not a lot I can do about it now. His words really do help sometimes and I should show him that I do appreciate what he does for me.

"Wait one second". I quickly got up and shuffled through the mass of people waiting around the counter and ordered a black coffee and a blueberry muffin to go. The service was actually pretty quick considering the amount of customers there at the moment. I arrived back to Sakurai and sat down a few minutes later and presented him with the muffin. "Here. As an apology". 

Instantly, Sakurai tried to weasel out of the gesture, being too kind and considerate for his own good. "No I-I can't possible take this!" 

"Just take it, idiot" I said, taking one of his hands in mine, forcing it open and plopping the sweet snack into his hand without his consent. 

The smaller man looked down at the muffin and then back up to my gaze. "T-then t-thank you Aomine-san, I'm sorry!". As a sign to show me that he was thankful for the snack, Sakurai took a bite out of the treat. You could almost see the stars in his eyes. Not a second later, the man took a massive chunk out of the muffin, quickly swallowing and going for yet another massive bite. 

In less than a minute, the muffin was gone from sight. It didn't surprise me at all, since lunch at the office is at 12.30, meaning he hadn't had a bite to eat in 7 hours. However, not even letting out a moment to breath will eating was a bit of a push, even for my standard of manners. 

"Well you were hungry, weren't you?" I said in a snarky tone. 

Sakurai looked up from the empty muffin wrapper that laid in his hands. It was faint, but you could see disappointment and sadness in his expression. Realising how uncivilised he must have looked whilst eating, the business man started rambling once more. "I-I'm so sorry! That was incredibly rude of me! I don't even know what came over me. I guess the hunger I had been avoiding caught up with me". 

I smiled, noticing that there was a crumb on the corner of his mouth.

"Do you think you could manage one last crumb?" I said, tapping the right side of my mouth as a clue. 

As soon as Sakurai realised, a pink blush flushed his cheeks. Quickly, he picked off the crumb and licked it off his finger.

A smile appeared on Sakurai's still pink face, small but genuine. "Thank you for that. You always seem to know what to do at the right time."

Unintentionally, a smile also appeared on my face. "It's no big deal, besides, I wanted to say thanks for always taking care of me".

Sakurai looked absolutely taken away by what I had said, making my heart ache since the co-worker hadn't been told that before. He should have been told that before now and yet I failed to tell him. 

"T-that's perfectly alright! You don't have to thank me!"

Just as I was about to fight back with him about how he was completely wrong, I felt a buzz in my pocket again. "Sorry, I have to get this". 

"Oh no, that's completely alright! I have to get going now anyway, my bus will be arriving shortly. Once again, thank you for the snack. See you on Monday". The shorter man stood up and walked over to the exit, giving a small wave to finalise the meeting. 

"Yeah, see you then." In return, I gave a small wave before he left the cafe.

As soon as I stopped waving, I reached for my phone and unlocked it. Looking at the small clock in the corner of the device, I could see that it was 7.45. 25 minutes had passed since the last text from Kise, meaning he waited outside for all that time whilst waiting for the bus to be repaired. Tapping the 'open' button on my phone, the message popped up and I began to read. 

From: Kise  
Friday 7.44  
Msg: I'm sorry for making you wait Aominecchi, I've only just gotten onto the bus, but I'm on my way now. I'll be about 10 minutes now. (〜￣▽￣)〜

He shouldn't be worrying about me when I'm all warm in a cafe drinking coffee and he is outside in the cold waiting for a bus to be fixed. 

To: Kise  
Friday 7.45  
Msg: Don't worry about me idiot, just make sure you get here without any more trouble.

I looked down at my cup of coffee and realised that I somehow managed to drink half of it without realising. I took another long gulp and released it from my lips, sighing from the high energy liquid warming me from the inside out.

A few seconds later, another buzz sounded.

From: Kise  
Friday 7.45  
Msg: I will, I promise I will make it up to you somehow! ヽ(＾Д＾)ﾉ

I could feel my face burn red from the message. I know that he meant it in a friendly way and probably meant 'make it up' as in pay for my meal, but I couldn't stop the dirty thoughts playing through my head. Knowing that they wouldn't stop unless I provoked some different thoughts in my head, I locked my phone and stuffed it back into my pocket. I exited the shop quickly and headed towards the bus station to wait for Kise, hoping that the growing buldge in my trousers would go away with time.

\-------------------------- 

The sun was at its lowest point in the sky, turning everything in sight a dark orange. It had been around about 10 minutes since I left the shop, meaning that Kise should be arriving any time soon. With my boredom beginning to grow and my nervousness at an all time high, I began to shuffle awkwardly on the spot, twiddling my thumbs and knocking the tip of my feet on the ground. Seriously, why am I so nervous!? Years of working in a highly stressful office job and you think I would of been able to cope with something this trivial. As I was lost in thought, looking at the ground and trying to calm myself, I felt a hard poke on my right arm. 

"What!?" I said with far too much anger in my voice. I was too worked up to concentrate on the tone of my voice but it was still a complete overreaction. Looking up from the dirt ridden floor, I met eyes with the one person I didn't want to yell at. Kise. The expression he wore was one of complete surprise and bewilderment. Realising that I had yelled at the person I was not only waiting for, but also the person I was trying to majorly impress, I tried my best to get my thoughts back on track. "Oh sorry... I thought you were someone else" I explained whilst rubbing the back of my head out of embarrassment. My palms were now sweating uncontrollably, also making the back of my head sticky and messy, ruining the preparation I put into it beforehand. 

Kise's expression lit up upon realising my angry tone wasn't meant for him. "That's alright Aominecchi, I'm sorry for making you wait for so long". 

His genuine concern for me makes my heart ache. How can he say that after I just full on yelled in his face and after he waited in the cold waiting for a bus to be repaired? However many times I wanted to say that, I just couldn't muster up the will to, in case he took it any other way then what I intended it to mean. Instead, I went for the 'let's move on' approach. "Its alright, it means that I get something special from you".

"Aww, I was hoping you'd forgotten. How about we go and discuss it over our dinner?".

"Sounds good, I'm starving". As if my hunger propelled me forward, we walked on towards our destination. 

\---------------------------- 

We arrived at the restaurant 10 minutes later, walking quickly to avoid the cold air that had made its way into the city. 

The restaurant was small in size, yet made up for it in the cosy, warm feel of the decor and lighting. It made you feel as though you were actually sitting in Italy, with the smell of pizza floating in the air and the sound of soft accordion playing in the background. We were shown to our seats, a small table for two near the back of the restaurant, peacefully placed away from the other tables that were filled with bustling families. Not gonna lie, it seriously felt like the beginning of a date. 

Once we were seated and our drinks were ordered, we began to relax, the nervousness I felt early fading away. 

"You've seriously never been to this restaurant before? Even though you work in Harlow?" I was astounded to learn that Kise had never even heard of this place, considering the pizza here is to die for. 

The blonde laughed, obviously finding my question hilarious. "I haven't, didn't know it existed. I only come here for work and since it's part time I never really needed to go out to dinner. Just seemed easier to go back home."

"You live fairly far away, don't you?" I said, attempting to sound as if I had forgotten where he stopped on the bus route "Just 20 minutes from here. I only chose my current job because of the location. There weren't any jobs going around so I had to look further away from walking distance and ended up getting spotted by a modelling company. They offered a job and I took it, nothing too extravagant." Kise's voice became monotone in pitch, giving off the impression that he has repeated this same snippet of conversation many times before. I didn't want that. Sure, I wanted to know more about him, but I wanted him to be happy telling me these things. 

Before we knew it, the drinks arrived, Kise's white wine and my beer, and we simultaneously took a sip and placed it back onto the table. A waitress arrived at the table, ready to take our orders. I already knew what I wanted since I was a regular customer, but Kise, who had yet to look at the menu, was completely taken by surprise at the speedy service. Whilst Kise looked through the menu, I decided to carry on. 

"I'll have a large pepperoni and ham pizza with garlic dip". The waitress quickly scrawled down the order and looked over to Kise.

"Oh, it all looks so good! But I think I'll try the pasta carbonara, thanks". Kise smiled and handed over the menu, making the waitress blush slightly. 

"T-thank you, I'll be back shortly with your orders". Quickly, the waitress scurried to the kitchen, leaving us to our conversation once again. I couldn't help but notice how popular Kise is with all the ladies, even on the way over here, he made at least twenty heads turn his way.

"So what do you really want to do?" I suddenly blurted out, attempting to calm my unnecessarily jealous mind.

"Wait... what? That's so random" Kise said with a giggle in his voice.

"I just really want to know is all".

"Well, I always loved the idea of travelling and seeing the world, so I thought about becoming a pilot, but I have so many things standing in the way of that dream, so the modelling thing just seems easier at the moment."

"So that's why you don't like your job?"

"I guess, it's just a lot of hassle for something I don't really feel passionate about".

"But you're so good looking naturally, how could it be a lot of hassle?". Shit. Fuck. No! What did I just say!? 

"You... think I'm good looking Aominecchi?" Kise definitely looked confused and even a bit scared at this point.

"Omg no I... I...". I didn't mean it that way, just say that Aomine, say anything! But I lost it. All my thoughts became a jumbled mess and any hope of regaining any dignity was lost in that moment. I could feel the blush heat up my face and in an attempt to not shame myself any further, I buried my face into my hands. Surprised by the lack of laughter I was expecting from around me, I lowered my hands. What came as an even bigger shock to me was the sight of Kise, bright red in the face and his hands sporting the same covering motion my own hands were doing not seconds ago. "Kise?" Is all I managed to say, completely confused from not receiving a look of disgust and horror. Isn't that how straight people normally act when told they're good looking by another guy?

After a few seconds of composing himself, Kise lifted his hands away from his beet red face. "I-I'm sorry, that just took me by surprise is all, I really didn't expect you to say something like that".

I shot him a look of confusion, my eyebrows arching and my eyes wide. He's not even acting as I expected, with him bombarding me with questions as to why I said that and statements about how he is straight and doesn't swing that way. It's almost as if... he's flattered...

"Umm, I'm sorry to be so straightforward..." Kise began, as he had come back to his usual colour. I looked at him with curious eyes to signal that I didn't mind him being blunt. "But... are you gay?".

My eyes widened and my mouth dangled open. It's not as if I didn't expect to be asked that, many of my other 'dates' have gone the same way, with the same questions being asked. It was purely the fact that Kise was... smiling at me when asking it. No one has smiled at me when asking that, far from it. They've either had an expression of pure disgust on their face and then walked out or just up and left without asking, already too freaked out that I 'made a move on them' or that I was 'diseased' or something. Yeah, I seem to have a penis magnet set to only straight guy arse, which only leads to disappointment in the end. Sure, I'm use to it, but I just really REALLY didn't want Kise to find out and act the same way.

"Aominecchi? I'm sorry if I offended you, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable".

After my minute of silence, contemplating what his calm demeanor meant, I finally snapped back to reality. "No! I mean, you didn't offen-"

"Sorry for the wait, here you go". Just as my thoughts had finally cleared in my head, the waitress returned with our orders. This waitress either has the best timing in the world, or the worst. I looked over to Kise as the waitress placed the food in front of us. I could see his face light up from the sight and smell of the meal. The food smelt delicious, fresh and hot, with the steam of the dishes rising and disappearing into the air. "Enjoy your meal". The woman gave a small bow of gratitude.

"Thank you, it looks delicious!" Kise exclaimed, looking far too over excited for someone receiving a meal. He almost looked like a puppy receiving a scraps of food from his owner under the table. 

As the waitress walked back around the corner, Kise faced me with a smile still on his face. "Forget about my question earlier, you don't have to tell me something you don't want to". Before I could get a word in, Kise clapped his hands together with a fork wedged between his fingers. "Thank you for the food" he said with his bubbly voice.

"Thank you for the food" I copied, with a less eager voice. I was still taken aback by Kise's lax nature throughout this entire 'good looking' business, unable to shake the edginess I had accumulated.

The food was amazing, as expected, and throughout the course of the meal, Kise would keep commenting on how good the food is or how the atmosphere of the restaurant was so inviting. It's as though he doesn't have a single thing wrong with the world. The subject from before the food arrived was dropped and forgotten, as though I had never even mentioned how great he looks. We chatted about nonsensical things, about sports teams and food, hobbies and interests. It all went by far too quickly, and before I knew it, my hand had reached for my last slice of pizza, only to find an empty plate. Apparently, the disappointment was clear on my face, since Kise couldn't stop laughing at my idiotic action. Looking around our table, you could see the masses of glasses sprawled across the surface. We had somehow managed to order drinks constantly throughout the dinner, with Kise switching to beer after 2 glasses of wine. It was clear to see that we were going beyond the point of slightly drunk and moving on to absolutely pissed. Even with the large meal, the alcohol had still gotten to us. Kise was further gone than me thanks to his slightly smaller frame, his cheeks dyed a dark pink. 

Since we had taken our time with the meal, the clock at the far side of the restaurant read 9.45.

"We should get going, the last bus leaves in 40 minutes" I explained.

"Kay, I'llpay for de meal" Kise said, slurring his words into a barely coherent sentence. 

"I can't let you do that, you said you were struggling for money right now, so I'll get this one".

"I seed tha' I owe you one Aominecchi, so I will be paying".

Fighting with Kise seemed like a never ending battle, his persistent nature showing. "Fine, but I'm getting the next one".

A smile slowly appeared on Kise's pink stained face. "Next time? Can't wait".

Realising that I had accidentally set another 'date' up with Kise, a blush appeared on my cheeks. Before I could talk my way out of my embarrassment, Kise waved over one of the waiters and asked that he give us the bill. 

Looking at Kise, I could see that the pink in his cheeks was beginning to fade, since a while had passed since our last drink. Wow, he looked amazing right now. His golden eyes shined bright thanks to the warm lighting scattered around the restaurant and his hair fell in exactly the right way to frame his face nicely. 

"I just wanted to say" Kise began, "that, tonight was really great. I can't remember the last time someone took me out." Even though he was talking about being happy and grateful, the expression on his face was something resembling sadness. "I-". Just as Kise had opened his mouth to speak again, his phone buzzed loudly from his pocket. Instead of looking at his new message, be stayed exactly the same, frozen to his seat, but with a glazed and horrified look in his eyes, the warmth from earlier leaving them.

"Kise? Don't you want to get that?" A strange feeling crept into my stomach, the same feeling you get when you think someone is hiding in the darkness of your seemingly empty house. Looking up, I could see that Kise hadn't moved at all. "Kise? What's wrong?". The feeling in my stomach grew and the quiet music playing in the background had become almost silent. I could see Kise's body begin to shake and his face crunch up unpleasantly, his skin turning pale. "Kise!" I yelled, in order to snap him back to reality. 

Kise looked up immediately, fear swept across his face. After a second or two, Kise's eyes had returned back to their warm demeanour. "I-I'm sorry Aominecchi, I don't know what came over me." What an obvious lie. Of course he knows why he did that. It's not the first time he had ignored his texts, the other time being on the bus, when he was swarmed with them. Though, at that time I thought he just couldn't hear them. Now he is just plain avoiding it. 

Before I could ask anything else, the waiter returned with the bill in hand. Kise hurriedly took out three £20 notes and placed them onto the small, silver tray and quickly stood up. "Keep the change" Kise said too quickly, his polite behaviour from earlier no longer present. 

Before I had even stood up completely, Kise was speedily walking out of the restaurant. "Kise, wait!". I quickly thanked the waiter, then briskly followed Kise outside.

\-----------------------------

The rain outside was coming down heavily in small droplets, making everything around me barely visible. What was so bad that Kise had to run out into the rain without even putting a coat or jacket on? Kise was only a few metres away from me, making it easy to catch up with him in no time. 

"Kise, wait!" I yelled, hoping to make my voice heard over the downpour. Kise remained quiet and continued at the same pace. "Kise!". This time he stopped, but made no effort to turn around and look at me directly.

"I'm sorry Aominecchi for leaving so quickly, but I need to go now". His voice became bland and dull, just like he sounded earlier when talking about his job. The slurred words before had vanished, as if that text instantly turned him sober.

"What are you talking about? We get the same bus, and it doesn't leave for another 25 minutes". After that, Kise turned to face me. He looked pale. Extremely pale.

"I'm being... picked up. So I won't be taking the bus home". 

"Wait, who's picking you up? You never mentioned this earlier". Since before his phone buzzed in his pocket, he was taking the bus with me. Now, as if someone has flipped a switch in his mind, he is standing out in the pouring rain waiting to be 'picked up'. How does he know that? He didn't even look at the text! 

Before he could answer, a beat up looking car pulled up beside us at the edge of the road. It was a decent sized car with a matte black paint job and black tinted windows. Take away the chips, dents and the bumps and it would be an alright set of wheels. 

Kise walked up to the car door and opened it partially. "Cya, Aominecchi".

"Wait, who is it? Who is picking you up?". The concern in my voice made me sound unbearably annoying and persistent. Still, I wasn't about to let Kise go with someone I didn't even know the name of.

"His name is Haizaki. He's... my boyfriend". Before I could say another word, Kise had slid into the car, closing the door behind him and was driven off into the downpour flooding the city. 

All I could do was stand there with the rain soaking me to the bone, mouth parted and with wide eyes, as the news of Kise being gay and taken hit me like a ton of bricks.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning- This chapter contains blood and violence with hints of drug and alcohol abuse

Our conversations stopped after that night at the restaurant. I didn't receive a single text or call from Kise, and all the ones I sent him were flat out ignored. The rest of my weekend consisted of me cooped up in my apartment, thinking about what exactly happened on Friday night. Still wearing the outfit I wore to bed and in desperate need of a shower, I made my way slowly over to the sofa in my living room, avoiding all attempts at getting ready for the day. As I made myself comfortable, multiple questions started to flow through my mind. Why was Kise acting so strange? Why didn't he just tell me he was gay? Why didn't he tell me that he has a boyfriend? Who exactly is Haizaki? So many questions with absolutely no answers. 

Before my thoughts could trail off even more, my phone buzzed, making me sit up immediately in the hope that it was Kise finally replying. 

From: Tetsu  
Sunday 10.45  
Msg: Please come out to the balcony for a second. 

Fucking perfect. Now my annoying pest of a neighbor is gonna talk to me. Tetsu and I first met 5 years ago when I had just moved into the apartment complex. He put on the 'helpful neighbor' act and helped carry in some of the heavier furniture, even though it ended up as me dragging the items instead of us carrying them. He even asked for a reward at the end of it all, which in the end, started our friendship. He's a good guy and is also very reliable, but man, he needs to learn some boundaries when it comes to curiosity. 

To: Tetsu  
Sunday 10.46  
Msg: No, why should I, idiot

From: Tetsu  
Sunday 10.46  
Msg: We both know you will come out here eventually, so why not just do it now and get it over with? 

Wow, fuck Tetsu and his cocky attitude. I know I'm being a stubborn arse and that Tetsu just wants to help, but he needs to learn about a little thing called privacy. So what if he wants to see me and I'm curious as to why he needs to speak to me? I mean, he could just be after a quick chat. Or to ask if he can borrow something. Or he knows that something is bothering me. Fuck. 

Without replying to the guy, I angrily marched on over to the balcony, which just so happens to be conveniently placed next to Tetsu's. Considering that these balconies are only available to certain apartments, it amazes me how it is considered cheaper in value. Not that I'm complaining at all. 

I approached the rail located at the end of the balcony and leaned on it, letting the air whisk through my short, greasy hair. Looking around, I could see the colour blue paint the spring sky in different shades, the sight of happy children playing in the street and the birds flying high above. I shut my eyes to allow my other senses to heighten, the smell of flowers and the feel of the cool breeze igniting my body into action. The fresh air that the fifth floor balconies open up to feels amazing against my skin, relieving some of the cramped feeling from sitting inside for a whole day.

"Lovely weather we're having, eh, Tetsu?" Even without looking, I know that the man's attention is completely on me. 

"What's wrong, Aomine-kun?" Their is no point in beating around the bush with Tetsu. It's straight to the point or there is none. My eyes opened slowly and I looked over for a quick glance at the man, to check if his usual blank expression had wavered. Of course it hadn't. Tetsu was a smallish guy, around about 5"6 and sported light blue, neat hair that fell down to his round, detective eyes. He may seem like an 'invade your space' kind of guy, but you would be surprised at how invisible he is sometimes.

"Nothing's wrong Tetsu. I don't know what makes you think that something is". My everyday, monotone voice is convenient at times like these when I need to lie, since my lying voice is apparently no different. Of course, this doesn't apply to Tetsu, who is basically a master at reading people and their expressions.

"I would appreciate it if you would stop lying to me all the time, or at least try a little to hide some things". Tetsu's own monotone voice also makes him impossible to read, allowing him to ultimately control any conversation and manipulate it in any way he sees fit. 

With there no point in me lying, I guess that the direct approach would make this discussion far better and quicker than if I were to talk my way out of it. "I just have a lot on my mind right now, and staying inside seemed like the best option". 

"I guessed that you would say something along those lines. I haven't seen you leave the apartment lately so I was becoming concerned". 

"You do sound concerned" I replied sarcastically. "But you seriously don't have to be concerned, Tetsu. I can handle this on my own". 

"Understood. If you need me, you know where to find me". His comforting words would of probably had more effect if they were portrayed in a warm tone of voice, but the sentiment behind the words still stuck. 

"Got it. Oh, and before I go, two more things. One, if your company, Seirin Incorporated, ever causes Too Industries trouble again, I will hurt you. And two, if you could keep the noise down whilst doing the dirty nasty with Bakagami late at night, I would really appreciate it, these walls are paper thin after all". A smirk appeared on my face, as I saw the blush on Tetsu's usually calm demeanor colour his face bright red. 

Before he could even think of anything else to say, I was back inside, my thoughts continuing to race through my head and the idea of leaving another message for Kise crowding my mind. 

\--------------------- 

It was early Thursday morning and the old, creaky bus drove down the street, approaching the stop that Kise would usually be waiting at. The clouds that filled the sky were black and ominous, signalling the fact that the April showers were yet to stop. I hadn't seen or heard from the blonde in almost a week, and I was honestly starting to believe that he had moved or something. Sure, avoid me if you want, but aren't you meant to be going to and from work on this very bus? Work wasn't exactly the remedy I would usually pick for getting over something upsetting, but it did slowly take my mind of things. The long hours and busy schedule filled my time and left me with little else to think about, but whenever I was alone, my mind would somehow wonder back to Kise. Even though I only knew him for such a short time, he had brightened my days, like my own, personal sun. 

Too lost in thought, I almost missed the flash of yellow that skimmed my vision as the bus slowed to a halt. Could it be that I just passed Kise? Suddenly completely awake, I stood from my seat and positioned my face so I could see out the dirty window clearly. There he was in the distance, making his approach to the bus stop. Even though the man was far away from the bus and was most likely going to miss it, his pace didn't quicken. His movements were slow paced and lacking in motivation. Why isn't he trying to catch this bus? Is it because he somehow knows I'm on it? But that's impossible... 

As the doors of the bus began to slowly close after the passengers had made their way on to the vehicle, I quickly scrambled to the front. "Sorry, I need to get off here, could you open the doors again?". The driver looked at me as though I was making some crazy statement, but didn't question my request. The doors slid open once more and I made my way off of the bus. There goes a wasted bus fare. 

I almost wished I hadn't done that, when I looked over to see the surprised face of the blonde. He was only a few metres from me and his fearful expression was clear as day.

Before I could think of doing anything else, I began to walk over to Kise, too curious as to what he has to say about avoiding my calls and texts. Why was I doing this? Why was I confronting this man when he obviously doesn't want to see me? Kise took a blatant step backwards, clearly nervous about the sudden approach. The anger was probably clear on my face as I could feel the tight knit of my brows. Kise had stopped moving, my guess being that he is either too afraid to move or he is just too tired of my constant harassment and is willing to confront me about my relentless pleas for attention. But as I neared him, my face softened, the anger from only moments ago fading instantly. 

I stopped walking just before Kise, and it took all of my will power not to cup the other man's face in my hands. His face was covered in different sized and coloured bruises, his usual pale skin highlighting the fact that it had been hit. Kise's eyes no longer sparkled the way they did when we first met, his hair no longer well groomed and kept. The most noticeable thing for me was his lips, that were dry and cut in multiple places. His whole face appeared swollen and sore, but at least there was no blood flowing right now, giving me the impression that he wasn't just this minute beaten up. 

"Kise... what... what happened?" Was all I could manage to say, still taken aback by the change of appearance and personality. 

"It's nothing..." His voice was quiet and bland, as though his liveliness was knocked out of him. 

"Don't give me that crap Kise, what happened to you?!" My voice became raised unintentionally, the unexpected adjustment obviously jolting Kise back to something he didn't care to remember. His face scrunched up in fear and his body began to shake once more. 

"I-I shouldn't be speaking to you. Please, just leave me alone, Aomine". 

My heart skipped a beat at the lack of 'cchi' to my name. "What happened to 'Aominecchi'? I thought you respected me". My tone was painfully cold, the anger from before boiling up. Kise refused another word to leave his lips and began to move towards the bus stop. Looking now, I felt like a fool. Kise wasn't running for the bus because of me. It was because he physically couldn't. A limp was present on his right foot, most likely an fairly new injury. "Kise!" I yelled whilst grabbing onto his wrist. "Tell me. Please". 

Just as I was about to let go of his wrist, Kise turned to face me, streams of tears running down his painful looking cheeks. "Aominecchi!" Kise exclaimed, pain clear in his voice. "Help me. Please!" His cries of help felt like spears piercing my body, his sobbing voice making my heart ache. I've never seen him in pain. And it hurts so much to look at. It hurts knowing that I was so angry at him even though he was in this much pain. By now, Kise was leaning into my torso, most likely from the pain of standing up on such a bad, untreated injury, but also to hide his pained expression from the rest of the world, the facade that he had worked up to build dissolving into the fabric of my suit. 

"It's ok Kise, I'm gonna help you, you don't have to worry". I had no idea if my words were even comforting him, but they were sure as hell keeping me composed in this situation. As my hands began to stroke his usually soft, blonde hair, I could feel his grip tighten around my blazer even more and his tears soak into the clothing. I looked up suddenly, brought back to reality after a drop of rain fell to my skin. The clouds that lingered above us had now opened up, the droplets of water beginning to quicken their decent. "Kise, can you give me directions to your place? I'll carry you there, so just tell me where to go". 

All Kise could do in his current state was nod, whilst I hoisted him up onto my back, his arms wrapped around my neck and his chin resting on my shoulder. For someone that appeared fairly slender, this guy sure did weigh a lot. Quickly, I began to lightly jog in the direction that Kise had arrived from. 

The rain just wouldn't let up, the dark clouds above us were not moving and pelted us relentlessly with waves of water. Thunder began to echo around us, and I couldn't help but think back to my first time talking with Kise, back when the heavy rain and thunder brought us together. As the rain soaked through my suit, I could feel my body begin to shiver, the thin layers barely keeping in my body heat. I could feel Kise on my back curled up and holding on tightly while his frail body shivered in time with my own body. Gasps of breath began to leave my mouth as the exertion of energy caught up with my unfit body, my injured elbow beginning to go numb from holding Kise up. 

"Left... now...". I could barely hear his directions, since Kise spoke in a quiet, whispering tone over the thundering skies. His voice seemed to be racked with pain, as he could barely utter a work. I followed his orders and went left at the next road, when I suddenly remembered something important. Kise is afraid of thunder. Is that why he is shaking more than me? From fear as well as the cold? 

"Kise, are you ok? You don't have to be afraid, I'm right here with you". Again, I couldn't even tell if my words of encouragement even helped to calm his nerves, yet it somehow became hard to stop talking. "You don't have to hide anymore, you don't have to be scared of anything. I won't let anything happen to you". It was as if I had caught a disease where I was unable to control my emotions, the words just wouldn't stop. Another clap of thunder roared overhead, making myself jump, crushing the brave facade I put up to help Kise ease his nerves. The arms that were secured around my neck tightened into an almost painful hold as Kise buried his head deeper into the crook of my neck. 

Before long, I found myself at the end of the street I was guided to go down. There was only one apartment block around, a run down, broken building that looked like a setting for a horror movie. Since it was an apartment complex, I expected it to be bigger, but the block only looked a tiny bit bigger than an average house. Whether the lights from the building were dim from the harsh weather or the lack of decent bulbs used remained a mystery. In all honesty, I was definitely not expecting this to be the apartment building of a model, more like someone who cleans bathrooms for a living. I was reluctant to enter the building, but worried less as I knew that I had to get Kise out of the rain and into his, hopefully warm, apartment. 

"Kise, what floor do you live on?" I asked as I entered the building. There was no lobby to be found, just a narrow hallway that either led out to apartments or the doors of the elevator. 

"2nd. Apartment... 14". Even inside, Kise's voice was hard to hear. As I walked to the end of the hall and pressed the button for the elevator, another roar of thunder rumbled in the building, making Kise tighten his grip. The walls of the complex were obviously thin. Even though thunder can be heard even in a normal house, it seemed as though we were still outdoors with the way the thunder rumbled ominously. Looking around, I could see tattered carpet spread across the hallway floor and door numbers hanging precariously from a single screw. The noise coming from behind each door was almost unbearable to hear; glass being shattered, the cries of women, babies and animals, angry yells, everything seemed so surreal to me. Not once had I ever been in this kind of situation, living my whole life in a sheltered, warm environment surrounded by people who love me. The current setting in which I find myself made that all the more clear in my mind, showing me just how lucky I am to of lived in such luxury. 

Lost in thought, I almost missed the 'ding' of the elevator as the mechanical doors opened slowly, making me wary about the safety of the device. I almost decided not to go into the elevator, when I noticed a strange lack of stairs leading up to the higher floors. With no other obvious option, I carried Kise into the elevator, clinging onto his legs even harder than I was outside. Kise's shivering had somewhat calmed, but there was no sign of him loosening his grip on me. I couldn't tell what expression he wore thanks to his face being buried in my suit, but I was hoping that his painful foot and the on going thunder wasn't making him too petrified to let go eventually. 

The ride up the elevator was silent, but over quickly, as the doors opened up to the second floor. From a quick look around, it was almost hard to tell the first floor from the second. The same sounds were being made from behind the closed doors and the same dirty carpet was laid out on the floor. The only difference I could see was that there was no front entrance, instead replaced by a wall of the same colour as the rest of the building; an ugly, cold looking grey. 

"Number 14..." I whispered to myself, as I quickly walked down the hall, looking for the right apartment. It seemed as though Kise lived at the apartment two doors away from the end of the corridor on the right side, about 10 flats down the line. Considering the exterior of the building is quite small, they sure did manage to fit a lot of people into the place. "Kise, we're here, where's your key?". 

For the first time since I picked him up, Kise moved his face from my shoulder. His hand, which reached down into one of his jacket pockets, grasped a small key. His face looked somehow more swollen than it did only minutes ago, the bruises that scattered his face painted his pale skin a dark shade of purple. I also now noticed small cuts littering his skin. It looked so painful. Kise slowly raised the hand that was holding the key and placed it into my own. It was hard holding Kise in only one arm whilst also unlocking a door that was, big surprise, broken. 

We soon entered the flat, closing the door behind us and making our way to the sofa. The room was cold and unwelcoming, with multiple scents filling the flat. I made sure to place the key on the small table next to the sofa so that I didn't forget. Looking at it closer, I could see multiple rips in the leather and even a few springs lying on the floor around it. But there was no time to be picky. Gently, I lowered Kise onto the couch so that he was sitting up right, lifting his right foot onto the coffee table so that his injured foot was properly elevated, and made myself room so that I could crouch down in front of him. 

"Kise, do you have any medicine here?" I had my doubts about even asking that, since the room was something close to a landfill. Empty glass bottles and used needles lay discarded on the floor, making the place a hazard wherever you stood. I also noticed a disgusting smell upon entering the flat; something that smelt like a mix of out of date milk, dirty laundry and rotting floor boards. Despite all of it, I tried to stay focused on Kise and his health. 

Kise remained silent in thought, whilst his quivering body continued to shake. The room was dimly lit, the only source of light at the present time came from one of the rooms behind where I was crouching in front of Kise. 

Finally, I received an answer from Kise. "Bathroom... cabinet... maybe...". His lack of confidence in his answer probably meant there wasn't any, but it was a lot better then waiting around doing nothing. 

"Where's the bathroom Kise?"

"...it's the room... with the light on". Without wasting anymore time, I made my way over to the room that was fairly well lit. 

Walking inside, the first thing that hit me was the smell. Before, when I smelt that mix of odors, was nothing compared to the smell in here, so putrid that I had to physically hold my nose. The smell of shit, vomit and piss filled the air, along with a whiff of rotting sewage, that I can tell without looking, is coming from behind the walls and seeping through. Mold climbed up the walls of the tiny bathroom and painted it a disgusting shade of green, almost making me vomit. Never before have I smelt or seen something this appalling. My eyes were even starting to burn from the toxic odor that consumed the room, the aroma so strong that I swear I can almost taste it on my tongue. 

"Christ...". Without a moment's hesitation, I flung open the cabinet, only to find an array of drug equipment, ranging from needles to used spoons, with some of the contents dried up inside of it. Was Kise the one using these? Or was it... 

Angry at everything I was seeing, I slammed the cabinet shut and exited the bathroom. I couldn't stand another minute of that room. Everything from the smell to the contents made me feel sick to my stomach. I stopped just outside of the room and, for some reason, decided to speak to the blonde from there. "There was... nothing in there. Do you think I can find something anywhere else?" If I don't find anything, I will have to go out and either borrow some from a neighbor or go and buy some, either way resulted in Kise being left alone, which I didn't like the thought of at all. 

"...Bedroom...". From where I stood, Kise looked as if he was only seconds away from falling unconscious, either from his injury or a lack of sufficient rest. His voice was calm, but his body was having a meltdown. Between his injuries and his fear of thunder, his body is barely keeping up, his eyes struggling to keep open and his body shivering vigorously. 

By the look of things, there was only one room left in the flat, so I guessed that it was the bedroom. From my previous experience from the bathroom, I wasn't holding my breath about the room being very well kept. Entering the bedroom, I felt my body turn cold. There was no obvious and offensive smell, but the room looked an absolute mess. The badly applied, black wallpaper was peeling off in numerous spots, revealing a dirty cream colour behind it. Many different sized holes scattered the wall, presumably from someone either punching or shooting the thin walls. Looking at the floor, it wasn't much better. Some floorboards were missing and bongs of different sizes littered the ground, along with an array of multiple... used... condoms. I could feel the blood rushing to my head at the thought of Kise living here, sleeping and having sex in this filthy dump. My fists clenched tightly beside my body, my brows beginning to knit in the centre of my forehead. Calm down, Aomine. You need to calm down. Deal with this later. Help Kise. Look for medicine. Slowly, I inhaled a long breath through my nose, and exhaled out through my mouth until I calmed my raging emotions. The only piece of furniture that occupied the room was a single bed, since there was no way a double could fit in the minuscule room. 

With nowhere else to search, I bent down and peered under the bed, trying my best not to lay my hands on anything... unsanitary. Nothing special caught my eye under the bed, only more drug equipment that could pass as ordinary items, including a belt and a few small bottles of hand sanitizer. The only reason I knew it wasn't just everyday items is because the rest of the flat is a dead giveaway as to what is really happening behind closed doors. With my search for medicine a bust, I got up from the floor. Quickly scanning the rest of the room, a small packet of what appeared to be pain killers laid open in the corner of the floor. Picking the small packet up, I could see that there were a few tablets still left, relieving my edgy nerves slightly. With the newly found pain killers, I exited the room and made my way back to Kise. 

There he was, eyes shut and looking extremely happy to be asleep. For Kise to fall asleep during a thunder storm most likely means that he is seriously exhausted. But I couldn't just leave him in this state without any medication. Quickly, I made my way over to his side. Kise, due to his collapse, had taken up a relaxed position on the sofa, the left side of his face squashed against the raggedy leather. He would of looked cute, if it wasn't for his swollen features. 

"Kise, Kise, wake up" I whispered near his ear, as I gently rocked his shoulder. 

"Mmmm" he grumbled in response. Still asleep. 

"Kise, you need to take your medicine". Still nothing. My guess is that he is just plain ignoring me now. With a pout appearing on my face, I decided, enough was enough. Before I could let Kise come to his senses, I wrapped my arms underneath his and hoisted him into an upright position. After my not so graceful attempt at lifting Kise awake, Kise's eyes began to flutter open, as if you were to try and wake a drunk from their deep slumber. "Kise, stay upright whilst I go and get some water for the medicine". 

Entering the small, living room/ kitchen, I grabbed a some what clean glass and filled it with luke warm water, since the cold tap seemed unable to function. Unsatisfied with the conditions I was given to work with, I decided to look in the freezer for some ice cubes, even though I knew my chances were pretty slim to begin with. Opening it up, I wasn't surprised to see it lacking anything substantial for a household. All that was stored in it was a large bottle of cheap vodka. No ice. Great. 

Fully fed up with everything at this point, I made my way back to Kise's side, where he had somehow managed to stay awake. With the glass still in one hand, I picked up the tablet with my other and crouched back down in front of pain stricken man. 

"Here Kise, take your medicine". With slow movements, Kise whisked the pill and glass from my hand and swallowed the medicine down in one gulp. 

"Thanks... you didn't have to do this." 

"What are you talking about? You were about to collapse on the street Kise, of course I would do something about it". As though my words meant nothing, Kise looked down at the floor, hiding his purples skin. It was if he thought he didn't deserve it, which kind of pissed me off. He remained silent, but appeared to be shaking less since before his little nap. With a long huff of air escaping my lungs, I continued on for him. "Shouldn't your boyfriend be taking care of you?". Wow, I sounded like a huge arse. What was I saying? How was my jealously going to help this at all? At the unnecessarily harsh and snarky comment, Kise looked up off the ground immediately, his golden eyes becoming shiny and wet, as if about to let the water works flow. No wonder, I'm being a douche about the whole thing, yet still I carried on. "I mean, if you're dating someone, then they must surely love you." Why was I trying to push Kise's buttons, kicking him when he was down? Why am I getting so angry over something like this!? 

Kise just kept staring at me, square on and with a quiver on his cut lips, with my body still crouched down opposite him. He seems to of forgotten completely about the thunder and his injuries, meaning that maybe I was doing alright by distracting him with something completely wrong and horrible. It was almost like interrogation, like I was some kind of bully. 

"...Haizaki... was it? Seems as though he's been taking REAL good care of you Kise!". Shut up! Why are you doing this Aomine!? Why are you being such a douche? 

"Next thing you'll be telling me is that you let him persuade you into drinking excessively and taking mass amounts of drugs, just because he told you to". Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up already. Stop yelling at him. Stop being angry. My words were coming out bitter, as if I was spitting in the blondes face with poisonous venom. "Well?! Are you taking drugs!? Or do you just get your high from being fucked senseless by him-" 

Slap. 

Wow... that fucking hurt. Of course I deserved it, but still, it stung like a bitch. The hand to face collision made me stumble upwards into a standing position, my pulsing cheek burning red on my skin. I was soon nose to nose with Kise, as he pulled himself up off of the sofa and made sure his face was as close as he could get to mine without colliding. Even though he was a tiny bit smaller, that held nothing against his ferocity. His glare could kill. Even with the swelling of his face, you could see the fury and anger in his eyes, as his brows knit together tightly, almost making a 'v' shape. I dared not to speak again at the fear of another slap and me sticking my gob in it once more and making things ten times worse. 

"How DARE you say that about me!? You haven't even MET Haizaki and here you are, in his apartment, judging and shunning him! He wasn't always like this you know! He was a great man, and I ...loved him so, so much! I ...I truly did". The anger in his voice turned into pain, as his words escaped his lips in small sobs instead of coherent sentences. His strong facade fell once again, and he fell back onto the rotting sofa, tears now streaming down his cheeks and sobs escaping his throat as he covered his teary eyes with his hands.

Needless to say, I felt like a pile of shit. How did I become such a fucking jerk? "I'm sorry, Kise" I said as I made myself a spot next to Kise so that I wasn't looking down at him. "I honestly didn't mean to hurt you. But, what do you mean 'wasn't always like this' and 'I loved him'? What happened? Do you not love him anymore?". 

Kise's crying had slowed down, allowing him to talk normally, but with some difficulty. "... I met Haizaki in middle school. We both played basketball and even played the same position, but we never talked much at that time. We met again at a school reunion thing and got talking. He was a really amazing guy. Successful, cheeky, fun, handsome. We ended up spending as much time as possible together. We even moved in together. Everything seemed perfect. That was until his company became bankrupt. He lost everything he had worked for. All of his money, his house, his car, all his possessions. We had to move out of the house and come here, since it was all that we could afford, and we haven't moved since." 

I guess that explains why Kise had to go find work pretty desperately. 

"Even though I found part time work at a modelling agency, Haizaki was a broken man. He had no motivation to work at anything else. Instead, he just stayed here and delved into bottle after bottle until he would pass out and forget everything. The 'friends' he made around the area got him addicted to all kinds of drugs. The drugs made him happier. The drugs made him forget." Kise's voice hadn't changed from its painful tone. Every word seemed like a dagger to his heart, which made it seem as though a dagger was going through mine. 

"...he used to say 'I love you' all the time. It's... it's been so hard... not hearing him say that anymore. It hurts. It truly, truly hurts". As much as I hated to acknowledge it, it was blatantly obvious how much Kise still loved him, even after everything. Even though he said he didn't anymore. After all, love is a hard thing to kill. 

"Kise, that is no excuse for him to hurt you. You've done nothing to hurt him". My hand had somehow managed to slip onto Kise's back, rubbing him softly in a comforting manner. 

Kise moved his hands away from his face and turned to look at me. He seemed genuinely confused by what I had just said. 

"Its his fault. His fault for not seeing how much you loved him. His fault for beating you until you collapse. None of this is because of you, Kise". Although Kise never mentioned that Haizaki was the one beating him, he never denied it either, making my suspicions seem more real. 

"Aominecchi...". There it was. The word that made my heart skip a beat. By the voice that made it skip twice. Kise's crying had seized, but a lone tear was still present on the cheek closest to me. Without much thought, I cupped my hand against Kise's face, and slowly wiped the tear away with my thumb. What was I even doing!? This is so embarrassing I could die! My body and mind were obviously not synced up right, cos my mind was telling me no, but my body was telling me yes. And I needed to stop before I messed with Kise even more. But of course, my body wasn't complying to my rational thoughts. I was lost in his golden eyes, watery and glistening from reflecting the light of the bathroom. They were so beautiful. And his lips. All I wanted to do was lick his cuts, to make them better so that his lips would go back to the gorgeous colour that they usually bared. He always had the most amazing looking lips. All I wanted to do was kiss them. All I had to do was lean in a tiny bit more... 

Slowly, I shut my eyes, tilted Kise's head slightly to the side, and leaned in until his lips met mine. His lips felt rough against mine, but still warm and amazing. The kiss only lasted a few seconds before I could feel a familiar burning sensation in my cheeks, breaking me from my delusion and back to reality. I opened my eyes and pulled away abruptly. 

"O-omg, I-I'm so sorry Kise, I don't know why I just did that!". Quickly, I retracted my hand away from Kise's face. It was obvious to see how flustered I had become, with my cheeks flushing bright red and my voice struggling to make a complete sentence. This wasn't exactly how I expected my first kiss with Kise to of gone. One, I hoped that he would be dating me at the time, two, that he wasn't completely beaten in the face department and three, that it would of taken place in a more... hygienic setting than the filthy apartment of his current boyfriend. 

Looking over to Kise, I could see that beneath the purple marks dotting his face, a pink blush was appearing. Two of the man's fingers crept over his mouth, as if he wasn't sure whether that had really just happened or if he was just imagining things. "Just... just don't say anything else, Aominecchi. Just... close your eyes for a second". 

By now, my ember red blush had calmed down, and I was beginning to compose myself. Slowly, I did as he asked and closed my eyes shut, confused as to why he wanted me to. A gentle brush of a hand swept against my face, caressing my cheek tenderly. It felt cold against my hot skin, but in a soothing way that sent shivers down me. The cold hand hooked around the back of my neck and grasped it gently, his thump stroking the hair at the base of my head. I could feel the press of soft lips against my own, slick with saliva, more moist than the previous kiss. 

My eyes flew open at the sudden kiss. Looking over at Kise, I could see that his eyes were closed, his whole body immersed in the kiss we were still sharing. I was about to push him away, knowing that he has a boyfriend that may very well kick the shit out of him again if he saw this, when I suddenly felt Kise's hot tongue enter my mouth. My eyes fell shut at the sudden pleasure rushing through my body, as our tongues began to intertwine in perfect sync. It was fair to say that Kise was an amazing kisser. His tongue moved gently but powerfully with my own and made my body tingle from sensation. My cheeks were returning to their previous colour as the kiss became even more passionate, Kise's hand moving roughly on my neck whilst his other appeared in my hair, tugging at it for further stimulation. I knew that I should be stopping this, but once again, my mind was working on a different level to my body. 

Pushed further by Kise's rough hands, I placed my own hands on Kise's cheeks, shortly followed by a muffled noise escaping his lips. It soon came back to me that the blondes face was still in bad condition, so I instead slid my arms around his back, pulling him in for a closer embrace so that our torsos were rubbing together. "Sorry-" I muffled in between the breaths of a deep kiss. The only time our lips would separate would be to take a quick intake of air, before returning our lips together. 

This kiss felt so right in so many ways, my nerves on edge with every touch Kise was giving, but at the back of my mind, I couldn't help but think of Kise from just a few seconds ago, where he was crying on the sofa over his boyfriend. I couldn't help but think of this kiss as... meaningless. As if I was being used for emotional and sexual release. I didn't want that. I wanted his love. His heart. His everything. Not some rebound after realizing how bad his life is right now. Even with all of this going on in my mind, I still couldn't find it in me to break away from Kise's warm embrace. 

Without realising it, I had, rather forcefully, pushed Kise down, so that he now lay underneath me, our lips never parting for a second. The sofa was hardly big enough for two people of our size to be laying down atop of it, but we didn't care. The kiss was too good to care about anything around us, even if the place was filthy. Huffs of air escaped our parted lips, filling the air around us and making everything hotter. Moans of pleasure echoed in the empty room and made each sound much louder then it really was, only spurring us on more. Kise had even begun to bite my lip whenever I let go for more air, making me moan with pleasure each time. 

"Mmm, Aominecchi..." 

"Hmm- hmmm... Kise...". We could barely let out our names as our tongues intertwined vigorously. This was definitely the hottest kiss I have ever had, and I wasn't about to forget about it any time soon. 

Everything around me, even the putrid smell from the bathroom, had faded away in my mind, my only focus now being Kise and his moist, soft lips that were sucking me in for more. The sounds from the other flats around us were just muffled noise, with only the sound of Kise's lips smacking against mine filling my ears. 

That was until I heard the sound of footsteps approaching the sofa. But by then it was too late. Roughly, I was grabbed by the back of my blazer and hoisted up so that I was face to face with a man. Before I could register anything that was going on, the collar of my shirt was grabbed and I was roughly pushed against a wall. The air in my lungs was knocked out of my from the powerful shove and a cough sputtered from my now slightly swollen lips, my eyes closing from pain of the impact. 

"Haizaki, no!" I heard Kise scream. I could feel the breath of, who I am now guessing to be Haizaki, close to my face. He smelled of weed. 

"Shut up Kise!!" Haizaki boomed, his voice deep and ominous. "Now who the fuck are you, you bastard?! What makes you think you can suck on this guy's lips without my permission!?" I already hated this guy, but his tone of speaking and the way he made Kise his 'possession' just made me feel sick. "WELL!?" His voice was extremely loud in my ear, as his anger continued to boil up. My eyes began to open again as my breath caught back up to its usual pace. Now that I could see Haizaki clearly, I could now see that suited he the place he called home. His skin looked pale and tired, with dark circles occupying the space under his eyes. His eyes are pale grey in colour, his hair dark grey and tied back in cornrow braids all along his head. Although he looked the same height as Kise, he has considerably bigger muscles. 

"Stop! Haizaki, he's just a friend!". 

"Oh really? Does a friend take you out on a fucking date and then later on sucks the living hell out of your mouth!? You can't talk your way out of this Kise, I saw fucking everything". Haizaki began to lift his left, unused hand up in a clenched motion and throttled it towards my face, colliding straight into my nose. 

"NO! HAIZAKI, STOP!!" Kise screamed, grabbing onto his boyfriend's arm with all of his strength in order to hold him back. But Haizaki completely ignored his cries. Again and again, the punches kept coming, each one feeling stronger and more powerful than the last. It was hard to block a punch when you are being strangled at the same time by someone who caught you off guard and also had a vice like grip against your neck. I could feel the blood begin to drip down from my nose, the taste of metal entering my mouth. The sound of Kise's begging began to die down into muffled noise in my ears and my vision was beginning to blur. With a loud thud, I was on the floor, released from the choking grip and having it replaced with swift kicks to my stomach. I could feel every kick against my ribs, even though I had curled up to protect myself. One swift kick hit my injured elbow, making a loud cry of pain leave my mouth. 

"HAIZAKI!! STOP IT!!" Kise's voice echoed loudly, making the onslaught of kicks stop suddenly. With a moment to gather my senses, my vision came back to me. I was shaking all over and the blood continued to pour down my face, the feeling of bruises all over my body washing over me. Looking up, I could see the two men above me, yelling in each other's faces. 

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, KISE!! DID YOU SERIOUSLY THINK THAT I WOULD LET THIS GO, AFTER YOU WERE RAMMING YOUR TONGUES DOWN EACH OTHER'S THROATS!?" 

Kise remained quiet, too stunned to speak but focused enough to plaster on a very angry glare onto his swollen features. He doesn't seem scared anymore, as if all the pain and fear was swept out of his system. 

"Besides, I didn't see you trying to resist it at all. Or is it because you were the one who initiated it?" The tone that Haizaki was using was oddly calm, but Kise's look of fear returned to his face, eyes widening and lip quivering. "Were you being a little slut again~?" The way he practically growled that sentence out made me want to throw up. Slowly, one of Haizaki's blood drenched fingers began moving in an upward line between Kise's collarbone and his chin, moving up slowly, but not with loving want. Kise was standing his ground, his eyes fixated on Haizaki, looking as though he was caught in a trance or something. I wasn't however, and quickly grabbed onto Haizaki's jeans, giving them a sharp pull towards me.

"Stop... bastard..." it was hard to speak since my mouth was full of blood, but there was no way I was going to lie on the floor and not do anything. 

Haizaki quickly turned his head, looking over his shoulder to get a better view of the idiot lying on the floor covered in blood. His next words stung with venom, the most blood curdling look plastered on his face as he spoke. "Make me, shitfuck". 

Before I had time to react, Haizaki's head turned forwards once more, his bloodied fist pulled back and then rammed forward, colliding with Kise's face. The breath left my lungs as I saw Kise fall to the ground, red liquid pouring from his nose as his back hit the wooden floor. 

"KISE!" I screamed as loud as my lungs would let me. It hurt to breathe. 

Haizaki covered my view of Kise as he crouched down in front of me. 

"My my, you should learn to stop running your mouth. It might get people into trouble you know." This fucking bastard. I really really wanna deck him right now, if it weren't for the searing pain all over my body. "If you wanted sex, all you had to do was ask. This guy is a fucking animal." He said as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder towards Kise. "He does whatever I tell him, whether it be to stick a dildo up his own arse or to have a fucking massive orgy with 5 other guys whilst I watch. The sad part is that I know he does it out of fear, not love. Yet, somehow, that makes sticking it in him feel all the better". 

As a last act of retaliation, I gathered the blood pooling in my mouth and spat it in the bastard's face. "Fuck you". 

He didn't even move his hand to wipe it off, instead grabbing my hair roughly in his hand, the freshly spilled blood from his hand falling into my hair. "Pleasant dreams, you little shit". My head was lifted off of the floor, before being rammed down hard against the floor boards repeatedly. 

Curled up on the floor with blood streaming down my face was the last thing I remember before my vision turned black and everything went quiet, the pain in my body sending me to a aching, black slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter guys, sorry for not updating!! 
> 
> This chapter was a little... different from the other 2, but whatcha gonna do? I'm not 100% happy, i feel as though i crammed it all in a little bit? I dunno if I'm just talking nonsense, you be the judge! 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading, remember to leave your comments and opinions, i love hearing them so that i can see where i went wrong and how i can improve. Thank you for all your support :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this is my first fanfic so I hope that it wasn't too bad! 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it as much as I had writing it and make sure to leave a comment or two, I really wanna see what people think of this so judge away!
> 
> (Ratings, characters, warnings and relationships might change, so stay tuned, you have been warned! :P)


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